China's first automatic-driving farm spraying vehicle undergoes 

its final trial in Taigu on March 8. WU JIA/FOR CHINA DAILY

On March 8, Jinzhong High-Tech Agricultural Demonstration Zone in the county of Taigu, Shanxi province, saw the final trial of a strangely shaped, black-blue colored farming machine on its experimental farm.

Developed by the Smart Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Lab of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, it is China's first autonomous-driving, electric farm spraying vehicle, with replaceable batteries.

"Because of its automatic battery-replacing technology, the new farm spraying machine can be as much as three times more efficient than conventional machines," said Gao Pengfei, an engineer of the lab. According to Gao, research and development on the machine began in July 2020 and trial operations began in January.

He said mass production of the machine is scheduled to begin in June.

"The automatic navigation, monitoring, route mapping and driving technologies make it possible for the machine to work at night," Gao said."This will lead to a substantial improvement in efficiency, which is crucial in large-area operations requiring a short period of time."

Established in Jinzhong High-Tech Agricultural Demonstration Zone last year, the CAS Smart Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Lab is one of the zone's latest efforts to drive Shanxi's agricultural modernization.

Known as "the Agricultural Valley" in Shanxi, Jinzhong High-Tech Agricultural Demonstration Zone was founded in 2017. It was approved by the State Council as a national-level high-tech agricultural zone in November 2019.

Shanxi's authorities have pinned high hopes on the zone for modernizing agriculture in Shanxi.

During his investigation tour of the zone, Lou Yangsheng, Party secretary of Shanxi province, said improving the level of technologies, scale and efficiency is crucial for high-quality agricultural development and rural revitalization.

The Party chief said he expects more high-tech companies to settle in Jinzhong High-Tech Agricultural Demonstration Zone, offering strong technological support to Shanxi's agricultural modernization.

He also called for local agricultural technology companies to offer training to farmers, helping them master the latest technologies and operational models for agriculture.

Donghui Shijia Agricultural Technologies is one of the companies in the demonstration zone that highly values such interactions with farmers.

Its demonstrative smart greenhouses, which are 5G-connected and equipped with various smart technologies, are receiving frequent visits by farmers in Shanxi.

"We have training courses on site, teaching farmers how to operate such greenhouses," said Zhang Qiangjun, a technician of Donghui Shijia.

Qiao Yaowen is a farmer who recently installed a greenhouse supplied by the company.

"It takes only half an hour to irrigate and fertilize an entire greenhouse, an efficiency we could never imagine before," Zhang said."And automatic devices ensure that water and fertilizers can be sprayed evenly, which is better for crop growth."

Wu Jia contributed to this story.

  From CHINA DAILY